Netflix’s Monster anthology is turning its attention to one of the most notorious cases in American true-crime history with Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the fourth installment of the anthology centers on Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman whose name became permanently associated with the brutal 1892 murders of her father and stepmother.
At the center of the new season is Ella Beatty, who takes on the challenging role of Lizzie. The series explores Borden’s life and the circumstances surrounding the infamous case while extending its story across generations.
The narrative begins in the 19th century and reaches into the 1990s, examining how the Borden murders continued to capture the public imagination and eventually became connected to another notorious criminal story.
Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden
Ella Beatty leads the cast as Lizzie Borden, the young woman at the heart of the season.
The character is portrayed as a young heiress struggling against the expectations imposed on her by her family and society. After a new housekeeper arrives at the Borden family’s home in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lizzie becomes involved in a relationship that ultimately leads to devastating consequences.
For Beatty, playing Lizzie meant portraying a woman shaped by the restrictions of her era.
“She is the perfect example of a creature of their time,” Beatty says. “I think to be a woman at that time period in America was to feel confined sexually, spiritually, emotionally.”
The actor continued, “These things that were current to the 1800s became physical manifestations of where her emotional life was born and where, for me, a lot of that rage and strength emerged from.”
Lizzie Borden Becomes the First Female Subject of Monster
Lizzie marks a significant change for the anthology because she is the first woman to become the central subject of a Monster season.
Beatty said she felt “incredibly lucky” to become the first female figure at the center of the series, while also recognizing the responsibility involved in exploring the character.
“I also knew from the beginning that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan were really interested in exploring the reasons why women kill, specifically,” Beatty explained.
The actor said the show’s approach is consistent with a larger question explored throughout the anthology: whether notorious criminals are “born or are they made?”
Rather than simply focusing on the crimes, the season examines the forces surrounding Lizzie and the psychology behind her transformation into one of America’s most enduring true-crime figures.
Ian Brennan on Casting Ella Beatty
Co-showrunner Ian Brennan said the search for Lizzie was extensive, with the production team considering a wide range of performers before finding Beatty.
“We cast a super wide net and nobody could do it until we saw her,” Brennan said.
He recalled that the decision became clear almost immediately after Beatty auditioned.
“They say you can tell within the first five seconds if the actor has the role, and that was completely the case here, after watching very good actresses try,” Brennan added.
Beatty’s casting gives the season a performer capable of portraying Lizzie across the emotional and historical scope of the story.
A Story That Spans Generations
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is not confined to the period immediately surrounding the Borden murders.
According to the supplied details, the series moves from Lizzie’s childhood in the mid-19th century through later decades, eventually reaching the 1990s.
That broad timeline allows the show to examine not only Lizzie herself but also the continuing cultural impact of the Borden case. The murders became a lasting part of American true-crime history, inspiring books, adaptations, speculation and popular references long after the original events.
The season also explores how the Borden story intersects with another infamous killer, extending the anthology’s examination of violence beyond a single historical moment.
Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan Return to the Monster Formula
Murphy and Brennan have built Monster around dramatized examinations of notorious criminal cases and the people at their centers.
With Lizzie Borden, the creators are tackling a case that has remained a subject of fascination for more than a century. The story’s combination of family conflict, social restrictions, violence and unanswered questions provides the foundation for the fourth season.
At the center of that story is Beatty’s interpretation of Lizzie, a character whose life has become inseparable from one of the most recognizable names in American true crime.
Who Is Lizzie Borden in the New Series?
In Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Lizzie is introduced as a young woman navigating a restrictive family environment and the expectations placed upon her as a member of the Borden household.
Her relationship with a new housekeeper becomes a major part of the story, setting in motion events that eventually culminate in violence and transform Lizzie into a national sensation.
The series uses that story to explore questions about gender, family pressure, social expectations and the psychology behind violent acts.
With Ella Beatty leading the cast, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story brings a new chapter to Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology while placing a historically notorious woman at the center of the narrative.
